Do you (attempt) to do all of your grocery buying in one trip for the week (or month)? If not, how often do you go?
Generally once a week.
Do you have a favorite store or stores?
Yes, one particular nearby grocery store. We only have two grocery stores near where I live. The Food Lion, is so extremly slow on the checkouts that I refuse to go in there. Any other major grocery store is 40 minutes one-way, so unless I am going to the city and can shop last thing before I head home, I usually shop one of the two local stores.
Do you purchase other household items, such as cleaning supplies and lightbulbs, at the grocery store?
Not generally, I usually get those at Sams Club or the Dollar store.
How many people are you shopping for?
Me and part-time child.
About how much does that work out per person, per week?
I don’t eat at home much of the time. I’d say $15 per person.
As far as sales, yes, I’ll buy Turkey Hill ice cream if it’s $3.00 rather than Breyers for $4.50. Same with Coke/Dr. Pepper, I’ll buy whatever is on sale, and save a lot that way too.
I was raised like you: My stepmom would clip coupons all week, then Saturday was the Big Shopping Day Out. She’d go to at least three stores, buy all manner of crap we didn’t need (if it was on sale, she’d buy three and stash it away somewhere), and work the double-coupon system so she rarely spent more than $100 for a family of four.
I approach shopping in almost exactly the opposite manner.
I do not shop just once, for the entire week. About once a month, I will go in and stock up on nonperishable staples. The rest of the time, I stop in about 2-3 times a week and just pick up enough for the next couple days, or even just for the next meal.
I shop at Publix exclusively, but only because it is 2 blocks from my house and could not be more convenient.
I purchase most household items at the grocery store, but not light bulbs. Definitely cleaning products, with the exception of Krud Kutter, which I can only find at Home Depot. Pet foods are purchased at the pet food store. OTC meds are also purchased at the grocery store.
I am shopping for one. Me. This is why I shop European-style: because fresh veg/perishables may go bad before I finish all of them. I buy bread from the bakery in half-loaves. Some things you can freeze and portion out as you need them (I love frozen veg for this), but things like milk… I just buy only the amount I need for maybe 3 days tops. It’s not like I have to go far if I run out of something in the middle of a recipe. I just turn the stove off and run down the street.
I don’t really know. I don’t actually track my food ‘budget’. I figure… I need it, I want it, I’m buying it. If I don’t have the money, I’m not even in the store – I make do with whatever I happen to have at the house.
Often, I use my grocery store like some people use a fast food restaurant. The seafood department will steam crab legs for me. There’s a sushi kiosk right next to the seafood. And there’s a deli up front. Right next to the deli, you can get fried or rotisserie chicken with all the accoutrements. Or, I grab a loaf of bread off the bakery, a hunk of cheese from the deli, a bowl of fruit from produce, maybe some olives from the olive bar… Presto! Meal on the run. I often stop at Publixes on road trips because they’re right next to the fast food places and I can get something fresh and healthy to eat instead of Taco Bell or Subway.
1. Do you (attempt) to do all of your grocery buying in one trip for the week (or month)? If not, how often do you go? I usually go once a week and do all my cooking on Sunday. If I don’t get around to all the cooking I intended to on Sunday, I might stop by the grocery mid-week, but it’s not typical.
2. Do you have a favorite store or stores? Nope - whatever is convenient.
3. Do you purchase other household items, such as cleaning supplies and lightbulbs, at the grocery store? I usually get cleaning supplies at Target and lightbulbs at Sam’s.
**4. How many people are you shopping for? ** Three - me, my husband and my kid.
5. About how much does that work out per person, per week? We eat at home almost every night and almost all my meals (lunches & breakfasts, too) are prepared at home. Probably about $30. If my husband ate a homecooked lunch more frequently, it might be even slightly more expensive.
Yes. Ideally one big trip every two weeks to stock up, then a quick trip on the off week for things like milk and fresh fruit that we try not to buy too much of since it won’t keep all that long, and for anything we ran out of.
I go to Aldi first. What I can’t get at Aldi I usually get at Meijer’s. On laundry weeks I visit the local butcher shop (right next to the laundromat) and get 2-4 weeks of various animal parts. Once a month we get bird kibble and seed for the parrots.
Yep. Can usually get what I need at either Aldi or Meijer’s. Sometimes a quick trip to a dollar store.
2 Humans, 3 Parrots
$30-40 for food in winter, less when the garden is producing, maybe $25-35 then.
1. Do you (attempt) to do all of your grocery buying in one trip for the week (or month)? If not, how often do you go?
I try to go about once a week, but more often it ends up being 5 or 6 times a month. Whenever we run out of milk or cereal is usually when we end up going.
2. Do you have a favorite store or stores?
I shop at SuperWalmart because the prices are cheaper than HyVee. Every once in a while I will go to HyVee because they are closer or have things that Walmart doesn’t.
3. Do you purchase other household items, such as cleaning supplies and lightbulbs, at the grocery store?
Yes, there’s not really anywhere else to get them around here unless I want to go to Home Depot. I don’t regularly buy things like that though.
I do buy toiletries and paper towels regularly, but I don’t add that to my grocery budget, since it’s not quite every month that I do.
4. How many people are you shopping for?
Two.
5. About how much does that work out per person, per week?
about $35
I have a deal with my wife. She can shop whatever she wants/needs at the Korean grocery store. Works out well, b/c produce and meat is so much cheaper there. I mean, a head of lettuce $.79 vs. $1.69. Plus, she can get whatever she wants for her Korean food.
I do all the “American grocery store” shopping. I know all about coupons and bonus buys and being sure to get the laundry detergent and household items at Wal-Mart and not the grocery store, and all that. My wife has no clue. She would end up spending $100 for what I could get for $50 if I let her do the shopping.
So, on to the poll:
Do you (attempt) to do all of your grocery buying in one trip for the week (or month)? If not, how often do you go? I go about once a week for major shopping, plus a quick trip for milk/eggs/etc. when needed.
Do you have a favorite store or stores? Usually Giant, but sometimes Wegman’s, depending on who seems to have the best weekly specials that match up with my coupons.
Do you purchase other household items, such as cleaning supplies and lightbulbs, at the grocery store? Rarely. Usually Target or Wal-Mart for these.
How many people are you shopping for? **3 (self, wife, and 18-yr-old kid) **
About how much does that work out per person, per week? I budget about $650 per month, but that includes restaurants; wife’s “gee I just had to pick up something for the house” and “gee, Bath and Body Works was having a sale” types of things.
I am a coupon user. I’m not That Lady who holds up the line looking in each pocket for one coupon scrap to save forty cents, nor do I break out a checkbook and start writing after the total is given, but I am that lady who hands a neat stack to the cashier as soon as they’re ready. And sometimes I’m the one who hands a coupon to someone in the aisle buying something I have a coupon for but that I don’t need or use. I choose menus based around what’s on sale and what I have coupons for. That said:
I generally do a Big grocery store trip every third week, with the off weeks being a smaller trip just for the good sales/coupon deals and produce, milk and bread.
Kroger, with a trip to Costco every few months simply because my parents adore the place and make me take them when they’re visiting. It’s not close enough to be a practical weekly trip, especially with the ginormous packages and limited selection of stuff.
I rarely purchase non-edibles at the grocery store, only on sale or clearanced. Drug stores and Kmart or Target for that stuff, usually drug stores because their sale prices when you bring coupons are significantly lower than grocery stores.
Three and a half. Technically three but one is a sixteen year old male, with the requisite hollow leg. One afternoon of having a couple buddies over can clear a fridge!
I tend to go multiple times during the week, on the way home from work. I truly hate grocery shopping, and my only hard and fast rule is “no more than fits in the basket/express lane” at any given time, so frequent small trips are my preferred MO.
1. Do you (attempt) to do all of your grocery buying in one trip for the week (or month)? If not, how often do you go?
No, I go at random times. Usually whenever I’ve run out of milk, then I just buy whatever else I want at the time.
I just looked at my credit card statement…in the past 3 months, I’ve gone 3 times, 4 times and 4 times. So it averages once a week. 2. Do you have a favorite store or stores?
I like the Publix by my house. They often have some great deals. My old apartment was close to an Albertson’s that I adored: great people, great hours. I also like SuperTarget. 3. Do you purchase other household items, such as cleaning supplies and lightbulbs, at the grocery store?
No, never. I hit up SuperTarget for those.
**4. How many people are you shopping for? **
Mostly me. When my boyfriend is in town, we go together and split the cost. I enjoy shopping with him even if it’s just for our dinner that night.
1. Do you (attempt) to do all of your grocery buying in one trip for the week (or month)? If not, how often do you go? Once a week. Have to go to several stores, usually. 2. Do you have a favorite store or stores? Costco and Ralphs Supermarket
**3. Do you purchase other household items, such as cleaning supplies and lightbulbs, at the grocery store?**Costco or Target
**4. How many people are you shopping for? ** Just for me.
Sales and coupons, seriously. When I can work a deal using coupons during a sale and pick up name brand cereal for $1.47 a box, I buy as many as I can, usually 8-10 boxes, and don’t buy anymore until the next great deal comes along. Multiply that by deodorant, shampoo, toilet paper, soup, oatmeal, salad dressing etc. and the totals really go down. Can’t get very many coupons for produce and meat, so buy larger quantities of meat on sale to freeze and shop produce sales in the winter, farmer’s market and the backyard in the summer.
Do you (attempt) to do all of your grocery buying in one trip for the week (or month)? If not, how often do you go?
Once a week usually with occasional trips to Trader Joe’s or a coop or one of the upscale grocery stores.
Do you have a favorite store or stores?
I have one main store that I go to because it’s the most convenient, but a different one tends to have better prices on meat so I go there occasionally to stock up. Plus, there are items that we really like from Trader Joe’s so we go there probably once a month, but they really aren’t convenient for the main weekly shopping.
Do you purchase other household items, such as cleaning supplies and lightbulbs, at the grocery store?
Cleaning supplies, paper towels, toilet tissue yes. Light bulbs no. Don’t really know why, that’s just the way I usually do it. I guess I sort of think that their light bulbs are probably overpriced, but I’ve never compared. Also, my husband tends to be in charge of light bulbs so he picks them up at Home Depot or someplace like that.
How many people are you shopping for? 2
And just for fun,
5. About how much does that work out per person, per week?
$35-$50 I can usually keep the total under $100/week, but it doesn’t usually fall below about $70. Although we both still remember our grad school days of having to eat really cheaply and we could go back to that if we had to, it’s nice to be able to buy what we like and not have to skimp.
1. Do you (attempt) to do all of your grocery buying in one trip for the week (or month)? If not, how often do you go? I do a big trip about twice a month, and sometimes I step out for something I’m craving. 2. Do you have a favorite store or stores? I go to Winco for the big trip, and Albertsons if I need something because it’s closer. 3. Do you purchase other household items, such as cleaning supplies and lightbulbs, at the grocery store? Um… sometimes. Toliet paper, usually. 4. How many people are you shopping for? 1-ish. I feed my boyfriend a lot, and I have room-mates so we share stuff like toliet paper.
And just for fun, 5. About how much does that work out per person, per week? Er… for the month of January, it works out to 11 dollars a week for me. But I think I ate at my parents’ a lot. December works out to 24 dollars a week. I made a lot of pies.
Do you (attempt) to do all of your grocery buying in one trip for the week (or month)? If not, how often do you go?
I make at least one trip a week on Sunday. I usually have to hit the store at least one other time - mainly for produce.
Do you have a favorite store or stores?
Ralph’s, Trader Joe’s, Henry’s, Whole Foods, Jimbo’s Natural Markets. I love Whole Foods but it’s too far away. Jimbo’s is great but really pricey.
Do you purchase other household items, such as cleaning supplies and lightbulbs, at the grocery store?
Yes
How many people are you shopping for?
2
And just for fun,
5. About how much does that work out per person, per week?
I spent about 100.00 a week total, but I am very concerned with healthy eating and try to buy mostly whole/organic foods. I buy a LOT of produce.
1. Do you (attempt) to do all of your grocery buying in one trip for the week (or month)? If not, how often do you go? We try, but we have to go for bread and milk and fruit during the week, usually once or twice. 2. Do you have a favorite store or stores? Sainsbury’s, but we do try to buy the fresh stuff from the farmer’s market depending on availability. 3. Do you purchase other household items, such as cleaning supplies and lightbulbs, at the grocery store? Yes, if they’ve got it. Sometimes the selection is a bit limited. 4. How many people are you shopping for? Just the two of us.
And just for fun, 5. About how much does that work out per person, per week? We spent a total of £20 today, although sometimes it does creep up to £35 if we’re buying beer or other cleaning products.
The supermarket is located between my house and the metro, so I go whenever I come home during its opening hours and we need something.
I circumnavigate the store (the fresh areas), only making strike missions into its interior when I need something specific.
I usually buy cleaning supplies, tissues, etc. from the drugstore. I buy spices, oil, cocoa, vinegar, canned beans, jam, soap, detergent, flour, sugar, and other such items from the organic/exotic foods store on the same street, and coffee, tea, and cheese from other specialty stores also on that street. It’s actually quite convenient; this borough has a nice little downtown that mostly lies on that stretch between the metro and my house.
Do you (attempt) to do all of your grocery buying in one trip for the week (or month)? If not, how often do you go? I try to do one big trip every two weeks or one medium trip every week; if I do the big trip, then the second week I generally have to run into the local market to get something we’ve run out of.
Do you have a favorite store or stores? Super WalMart for laundry soap, paper items, non-perishables. Meijer or Kroger for meat, cheese, produce.
Do you purchase other household items, such as cleaning supplies and lightbulbs, at the grocery store? Usually only at WalMart, unless there’s a big sale somewhere else.
How many people are you shopping for? Three - two adults and one rapidly growing teenage boy.
About how much does that work out per person, per week? For food alone, probably $25-$30. Add in paper products or cleaning and the total goes up.
(ETA: I shop the way Matt does; I avoid the center aisles unless I am picking up something specific.
Do you (attempt) to do all of your grocery buying in one trip for the week (or month)? If not, how often do you go?
My husband does most of the grocery shopping for us, and he’s in the store almost every single day. I don’t know whether he likes to do that or is just a glutton for punishment.
Do you have a favorite store or stores?
I like Kroger: he likes Wal-Mart. We both love Sam’s Club. We had a little grocery called Corner Market that we both adored: it had a decent deli, great fudge and an awesome international section. But they changed it to Grocery Depot, demolished the deli, flung the fudge, and deported the international section.
Do you purchase other household items, such as cleaning supplies and lightbulbs, at the grocery store?
Yes, most of the time.
How many people are you shopping for?
Five: us, two kids and his mom.
And just for fun,
5. About how much does that work out per person, per week?
I drive right by the grocery every day on the way home from work. I stop at least 3 days a week.
Yes. The store I shop at was a small local chain, got bought by Kroger who has not totally ruined it. Yet. I won’t set foot in a WM and nothing else is convienient.
1. Do you (attempt) to do all of your grocery buying in one trip for the week (or month)? If not, how often do you go?
I go 4-5 times per week. We don’t own a car, I walk to work, and I work half a mile from a chain grocer. It just makes more sense for me to go more often and carry less home than to buy a lot at once and have to carry a ton of groceries home. Plus it’s more exercise for me.
2. Do you have a favorite store or stores?
Yes, but the chain one is closer and closes later.
3. Do you purchase other household items, such as cleaning supplies and lightbulbs, at the grocery store?
Yes, with the exception of paper goods, which I buy in bulk.
4. How many people are you shopping for?
2
5. About how much does that work out per person, per week?
About $50 per. We rarely eat out.